Most will identify Stephen Curry's 3-point shooting as his biggest skill on an NBA floor, but it's his unselfishness on and off the court that may be the biggest factor behind the success he and the Golden State Warriors have been able to generate in the last dozen years.
That unselfishness will face its biggest test next season though if LeBron James joins the Warriors, with rumors of the franchise's interest in the superstar forward only growing in the past week.
Stephen Curry's unselfishness faces biggest test if LeBron join Warriors
It's one thing to embrace Kevin Durant and have him enter the fold a decade ago, but it would be another to do the same thing for the biggest rival in your career, something James has indisputedly been for Curry, and vice-versa, since the pair became the two faces of the league over a decade ago.
This is someone who Curry and the Warriors faced off against in four-straight NBA Finals, and who has been on the opposing side for his entire career outside joining forces for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
It may be that experience together with the national team that's enough to convince Curry and James to team up this offseason, but a long season and an NBA environment is far different to a two-week tournament on foreign shores.
Is Curry ready for the circus that can come with James joining your team, particularly when it could very well be the 41-year-old's final season of a legendary career? As much as Golden State will always be Curry's team, for one year he'd have to share the spotlight in a way that may be even more intense than when Durant joined the team.
Reward for unselfishness is far from guaranteed
There's also a stark contrast between the Durant and James' situations because at least with the former, Curry knew that if he embraced the 'Slim Reaper' and ensured the train stayed on the tracks, success was practically assured given the Warriors were so overwhelmingly talented.
That same reward isn't there now. Even with the two greatest players of this generation on the same team, Golden State wouldn't be assured of a top six seed in the Western Conference, let alone being a prominent championship contender.
How much is Curry willing to sacrifice for James when success isn't guaranteed at the end of it all? Based on how the 2x MVP has carried himself throughout his career, he'll welcome the opportunity and ensure things go smoothly, yet it's still a test of his greatest trait nonetheless.
That unselfishness starts with Curry being a driving factor in trying to lure James to the Warriors in the first place, with conversations sure to take place before free agency starts at the end of the month.
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